Theory and methodology of e-learning research
Gráinne ConolePhD research day, 21/2/12
University of Leicester
Outline
• An overview of e-learning research
• Empirical evidence• Examples of current
research• Theories underpinning the
field• Methodologies
E-learning research
• Learner experience• Teacher practice• Social & participatory media• Learning design• Learning spaces• Mobile learning• Virtual worlds
E-learning research
• Learning analytics• Use of Virtual Learning Environments• Open Educational Resources• Pedagogical patterns• Digital literacies• Creativity and technologies• Openness
Cross cutting themes
• Affordances of technologies• Barriers and enablers• Case studies of good practice• Emergent technologies• Changing practices• Institutional implications
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• Metaphors•Camp fire•Watering hole•Cave•Mountain top
• Principle of learning space design
•Comfort•Aesthetics•Flow•Equity•Blending•Affordances•Repurposing
Learning spaces
www.skgproject.com
Play
Performance
Simulation
Appropriation
Multitasking
Distributed cognition
Collective intelligence
Judgement
Transmedia navigation
Networking
Negotiation
Jenkins et al., 2006
Participatory culture shifts the focus of literacy from one of individual expression to community involvement. The new literacies almost all involve social skills developed through collaboration and networking
Creativity
New digital literacies
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• Technology immersed• Learning approaches: task-
orientated, experiential, just in time, cumulative, social
• Personalised digital learning environment
• Mix of institutional systems and Cloud-based tools and services
• Use of course materials with free resources Sharpe, Beetham and De Freitas, 2010
Learner experience
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EDUCAUSE study• Students drawn
to new technologies but rely on more traditional ones
• Consider technologies offer major educational benefits
• Mixed views of VLEs
• Technologies not extensively used (Molenda)
• Lack of uptake of OER (McAndrew et al.)
• Little use beyond early adopted (Rogers)
• Despite rhetoric and funding little evidence of transformation (Cuban, Ehlers)
Pandora’s box
What would it mean to adopt more open practices? Open design, open delivery, open research and open evaluation?
Teacher practices: paradoxes
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Pandora’s box
Open design Open delivery
Open dialogue Open research
Open practices
Open design
Shift from belief-based, implicit approaches to design-based, explicit approaches
Encourages reflective, scholarly practicesPromotes sharing and discussion
Learning DesignA design-based approach to creation and support of courses
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Course views
Course map
Learning outcomes
Pedagogy profile
Task swimlaneTask swimlane
Course dimensions
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I find the document quite thought-provoking, especially as a starting point in this journey for developing good understandings
I could understand the learning design process and would feel able to use this when designing some learning activities
It is iterative and so helps with ironing out any issues
But does it work?
Open resources
Open courses: MOOC
http://mooc.ca/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW3gMGqcZQc
MassiveOpen Online Course
Open accreditation
http://www.p2pu.org/en/
Peer to Peer University
http://wikieducator.org/OER_university/
OER University
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•A space for sharing and discussing learning and teaching ideas and designs
•Application of the best of web 2.0 practice for teaching
•To bridge the gap between technologies and use
•Teachers say they want: examples, want to share & discuss
•Helps develop skills needed for engaging with new technologies’
http://cloudworks.ac.uk
Open dialogue: Cloudworks
ParticipationSustained over timeCommitment from core groupEmerging roles & hierarchy
IdentityGroup self-awarenessShared language & vocabSense of community
CohesionSupport & toleranceTurn taking & responseHumour and playfulness
Creative capabilityIgniting sense of purposeMultiple points of view expressed, contradicted or challengedCreation of knowledge links & patterns
Galley et al., 2010
Community indicators
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Open scholarship
Weller: http://nogoodreason.typepad.co.uk/
OpenDigital Networked
DiscoveryIntegrationApplicationTeaching
Boyer
Open research
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The future of learning
Distributed
Personalised
Blurred
Distributed
Collective
Creative
Responsive
Open
Just in time
Empirical evidence
• Review of social and participatory media (Conole and Alevizou, 2010)
• Review of e-learning pedagogies (Conole, 2010)• Review of TEL researchers (Conole, et al., 2011)• Networked learning ‘hotseat’ on theory and
methodology (Conole, 2010)
Theory
• Activity theory• Actor Network Theory• Community of Practice• Social capital• Cybernetics
Activity Theory
Methodology
• Case studies• Evaluation• Virtual ethnography• Content analysis• Action research• Design-based research
My influences• Laurillard• Salomon• Lave and Wenger• Engestrom• Wetsch • Cole• Daniels• Schon• Atkins• Seely Brown• Pea • Perkins
Tips
• To do list, milestones, deadlines• Share drafts and get comments!• Present and get feedback at
conferences• Network, network, network!• Publish as you go• Up to date bibliography, use ref
software!• Nail your methodology
Final thoughts• Open, participatory and social media enable new forms of
communication and collaboration• Communities in these spaces are complex and distributed• Learners and teachers need to develop new digital literacy skills
to harness their potential• We need to rethink how we design, support and assess learning• Open, participatory and social media can provide mechanisms for
us to share and discuss teaching and research ideas in new ways• We are seeing a blurring of boundaries: teachers/learners,
teaching/research, real/virtual spaces, formal/informal modes of communication and publication
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